Scientific Family
Boraginaceae
Other common names
thick sepal cat’s eye
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Cryptantha minima
Height
Under 6 inches
Riparian
No
Annual herb without rosettes of basal leaves. Numerous stems, each produces numerous tiny white flowers.
The 3 similar nutlets are not winged. Cryptantha minima, a very similar species, has bractlets at the bases of the flowers.
Habitat
Open, disturbed mesquite shrub land and grassland. Deep, fine sandy soil. Sand-sage prairie, prairie slopes, dry, sandy or silty soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Tiny white flowers are borne on an elongated stem 1 to 5 inches long. There are no bractlets at bases of flowers.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
July
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are alternate, simple, and linear to lanceolate, 1/2 to 1 inch long, 1/8 inch wide, stiff and hairy, with smooth margins. Leaf tips are pointed or rounded.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Nutlets are covered with minute bumps, each containing a single seed. Nutlets occur in clusters of 4. One nutlet is smoother, much larger and taller than the other three.
Fruit type
Nutlet
Fruit color
Greenish